Girl Scouts do WHAT!?!!

So I was a girl Scout for like 12 years. No lie. By the time I got into 6th grade girls were dropping out like flies 'cuz it was not cool anymore... but since I was never all that cool and I thought horseback riding and sailing Sunfish in the Gulf was all the rage I stuck it out. By the time I hit Junior high it was just me and my two best friends... oh and my mom 'cuz she was the troop leader. Did I mention I wasn't very cool?

Really and honestly we put the Girl Scout organization to shame because we were so into camping and traveling and not at all into earning badges. Even in my lack of coolness I could see that earning badges was not gonna win me any points. I felt like they would have behead me or something if they had known that but I was also a little dramatic when I was 13 years old.

Looking back I don't really remember all the girls scout handbooks and crap because like I said... I wasn't interested in that. But now I am learning all kinds of things about GSUSA that really just makes me sick to my stomach. Like this.

All those delicious cookies those hard-core girls we sold... I never understood why our troop only got a small fraction of the money. Well, as in turns out GSUSA financially helps support the World Organization of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and Planned Parenthood. I feel like vomiting every time I think about it. Little girls... like elementary school aged... are working to support evil organizations that promote Pro-Choice movements and  sexual freedoms and God knows what else. These are LITTLE GIRLS!

Just in case that didn't blow my mind enough I also learned that they recommend sexually explicit books to the cute little girls in the brown vests. They tell them to take ownership of their adolescent sexual health claiming that we should all be looking at it realistically. They tell young children to have young adult partnerships and to reject the myth of adult wisdom. Because they don't believe that adults know what is best for their children and because children learn best by doing. WHAT!?! *Stomach churning* *Blood boiling*

So here is a problem that many people may not know. The Catholic Church in the United States sort of supports the GSUSA. By that I mean that they have Girl Scout Sunday every year and things like that. To my (limited) knowledge, the Catholic Church has sort of always considered Girl Scouts to be indirectly affiliated with them. Please, correct me if I am wrong. I would love to be wrong about this. Obviously, the Church would not stand for supporting THIS kind of "empowerment of women."

This is the problem with feminism. It is so skewed. We should be learning to love our bodies and recognizing the beauty that life can grow inside of us. We should understand that the body is sacred, a gift from God, and that it should not be harmed. We should be teaching children about real marital love and the bond of a married man and woman and the perfect design of fertility. That is what empowers me. Instead people speak out against the body in the name of "feminism." This frustrates me to no end.

I wish I could take back those 12 years of unknowingly supporting WAGGGS and Planned Parenthood but I thank God I was not so into GSUSA that I had to hear about all of this at such a young age... though I know if my mom (as the troop leader) had known she would have removed me from the situation.

Anyone have an opinion on this? Please share! If you don't want to post a public comment you of course can always email me at thiscaptivatinglovehg@gmail.com

Natural Family Planning... It's a beautiful thing.

I realize that I have not really posted anything about this and I think it's time I should. For anyone that doesn't know Natural Family Planning is a method that helps women understand the way that their body works so that they can recognize signs of fertility and therefore make decisions accurately for family planning. This is not the rhythm method... oh, no it is not! It is scientifically based and it recognizes that all women are different and so are their cycles. It's kind of a beautiful thing.

When I first heard about NFP I just did not understand because I at the time did not know my body. All around me I saw girls using all different kinds of contraceptives with really no regard to what is happening inside of them. You see women are not fertile 24/7. In fact they really only have a window of hours to days when they can have sex and actually conceive a child. It amazes me that at one point I didn't know this and it continues to amaze me how many men and women still don't know this.

People have told me that birth control pills are just easier. You just take a pill and you are "good to go." Well, it probably would be easier to just pop a pill everyday and assume that the magical pill will take care of everything. But there is so much more to all of it. I'm not just talking about the actual act of conceiving a baby. I'm talking about morality.

My handsome husband and myself.

I have very concrete, straight forward, no-exceptions-to-the-rule beliefs that may not be... popular. I believe in love. I believe that giving yourself to someone in a sexual way binds you to them emotionally forever. I don't think that is something that can be undone. I believe that sex belongs in marriage and in marriage alone because it is the complete gift of yourself. Now, if you are completely giving yourself to your spouse then you don't need to "protect" yourself from anything. Your spouse is not taking anything from you, he/she is completely giving himself to you, too. All giving, no taking. I'm not trying to be preachy, but this is what I ardently believe. And to be clear, I don't believe that people that contracept are damned to hell. I just don't believe that is how it is meant to be.

So as you can see BC and other forms of contraceptives were never an option for me and my sweet husband. However, we really did not know what our first year or so of marriage would look like financially with him still being a student, and it was not ideal for us to get pregnant right away. Plus, we had trouble figuring out where to put the dog kennel in our tiny one bedroom apartment. I think trying to fit a crib in would cause us to burst at the seams! ha ha! So we learned how to use NFP. We really want to have kids some day but up until now we have used NFP to avoid pregnancy successfully. And people said it couldn't be done!

The great news is that because we both know how my body works with regards to fertility when we are ready to start having children it will not take too long to achieve a pregnancy with NFP. Hopefully!

I realize I am far from eloquent and not the best with getting my point across so if anyone has any interest in learning about NFP you can always check out iusenfp.com. It was co-started by a close friend of mine and has some excellent information. It's pretty phenom! I am also a fan of 1flesh. It has some pretty awesome stories about NFP but it's main focus is the negative side of contraceptives. And PS these are both secular sites. If you want something more religiously based Read Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body. It's so freaking awesome I could hardly wrap my mind around it! Or you can visit this site. Or you can talk to me! Just remember... not eloquent over here! ha

Spread the love, ya'll!

What I DID Sunday

I had kind of a crazy weekend. I worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the hospital and while I usually don't have a weak stomach I saw some of the most horrific things I will probably ever see in my life. Unbelievable. I will leave it at that. Usually things are pretty calm on the weekend but this was abnormal... in many ways.

I had every intention of coming home last night and posting a picture of "What I Wore Sunday" which would be my scrubs but at the end of the shift yesterday one of my nurse friends says, "I'm going home and drinking wine. Who's with me?" And guess what... I was so there. In fact, we were all feeling like wine was a necessity and my entire unit of nurses from yesterday went! It was so fun and relaxing!

I told my dear sweet husband that I would be home around 10pm. That really was my intention! But I must have been having fun wine-ing it up at my friend's house because I was shocked when he texted me at 10:45pm asking if I had left yet! Oops! Thankfully, Patrick is the most understanding man I know and he was just happy I was getting out and having fun. I love him :)

Spending time with my work friends outside of our relatively stressful work environment made me realize how lucky I am. I know I talk about how much I love my job all the time but the people I work with are pretty phenomenal IMHO. We all come from different backgrounds and are different ages and stages of life but we get along so well. I can't imagine most people have that same experience. I feel very blessed.

So now you know why I failed to contribute to What I Wore Sunday... again. It was well worth it though!

Have a lovely week, ya'll!

7 Quick Takes #2

1. After all of our travels throughout Christmas and New Years we are finally back to our normal lives. As much fun as we had I think we are both a little bit relieved to get back to a regular routine! In fact, I am typing this as I try to scramble out the door for work. I have a feeling it's going to be a busy weekend!

2. I haven't run in WEEKS! This is a shame because I really do love running and I got some cute workout clothes for Christmas. Problem is... it's January and our Apartment complex workout center is packed with people that have made new years resolutions to loose weight which seems to be the trend. It is unreal. I used to go for an hour and a half and not see a soul. Now I can't even find an open machine! And since I refuse to run outside in the cold... I guess I will have to postpone my running for now until people start failing at their resolutions.

3. I love Christmas Decorations. I love putting them up. HATE taking them down. I spend all day Tuesday taking down my decorations. I have a few battle scars from fighting with the Christmas tree too. No bueno.

4. I finished reading "House of Gold" and I loved it. It was still not as good as "Pierced by a Sword" but it was a close second. I was kind of sad to finish it because I loved the characters so much. It's like saying good bye to a friend that you will never see again. And yes... I knwo I sound crazy. I think that's a sign I need to get a life.

5. I started reading "My Brother, the Pope!" I thought it would be kind of a hard one to read and get into but I can't put it down! I am falling in love with the Ratzinger family! It is truly amazing! No wonder both boys became priests with a devout family like that! I hope one day when I have kids that one of my boys will grow up to be a priest! That would be wonderful!

6. Patrick and I are going carb-less. I sort of despise dieting of any kind but I will tell you what.. this works. We are both already back to what we were before the holidays. That didn't take long!

7. I got a guitar for Christmas and I am obsessed with it. I don't know how to play at all but I am teaching myself and it is so fun! I have always wanted to learn and now I finally am! I hope it goes well. If anybody has any good references for people that are brave enough to try and teach themselves... let me know! My fingertips are perpetually throbbing from all the practicing I've been doing! haha

Have a great weekend ya'll!

Content

I feel like our world looks down on people that are not constantly moving forward or moving on to the next best thing. We are lazy if we don't work to get a better job or make more money or get a bigger house. Why can't we just be content with our lives as they are?

Don't get me wrong... I do want to one day move out of my one bedroom apartment and I would love a bigger pay check. It's unsettling to me though that I have been out of college for a year and a half and people are already saying, "What is next for you?" "Where would you like to be?"

I'm here! Can we slow down a tad please!? I love my job! There is literally nothing I would change about my job. It is my perfect match. One day I may want something that is a little slower paced but right now I am happy. I am content. I don't think I should be made to feel guilty for that.

Being in my twenties, I have a lot to look forward to in my life and I do dream about the days when I have a house and little redheaded kids running around. I think about that kind of thing just about every day but right now, I am at peace with the way my life is going. And I don't think there is anything wrong with that!

Anyone else feel like the world is pushing us to move a little too fast?

Pay Attention.

 I have so much I want to write about since I took roughly two weeks off of my usual routine to be with family for Christmas and New Years but now that I am sitting down to type it all out I can't quite organize my thoughts.

Patrick and I spent the days leading up to Christmas with his family in his hometown. I got to spend time with my brother-in-law and Patrick's best friend from his childhood. We went out into the country and did a little shooting. The guys loved the shooting the clays but I hate the kick of the shotgun so I stuck to my hand gun and did a little target practice. It was SO cold but it was really fun. We went to Christmas Eve Mass at the little Catholic Church, Mary Queen of Angels. It was lovely. We came home and had a nice meal and I opened my presents before I had to hit the road back to Kansas City.

I worked on Christmas Day and the day after. It was mostly uneventful at work which was frankly a nice break from the usual. Everyone was really in the Christmas spirit hugging each other and asking about each others families. It was very unique for the work place!

As soon as I got off work on the 26th I went home, loaded up the car with my husband and my dog and headed to the in-laws again. The next morning we woke up bright and early and made our way to Texas to see my family! I swear I will never lose that excitement that I always feel when I get to go home again. The drive was long and people drove like idiots but we made it in one piece. Thankfully. Mom had the whole Christmas dinner prepared for us when we got home! It was so good! And after dinner we opened presents and spent time catching up on what we had missed of Christmas Day.

While Patrick and I were in Texas we went with my family to San Antonio for New Years. I had been there many times in the past and so I was not surprised by any sight seeing we did. It was all fun though and it was cool for Patrick to see everything for the first time. PLUS, Patrick's parents drove down to San Antonio and we got to ring in the new year with (almost) our whole family!!! Here are some photos of the trip:

Patrick and I outside the Alamo Church

"Little" brother, Christopher, Dad, myself and Patrick on the Riverwalk
(you would never know I am six feet tall in this picture)

Little sister, Rachel, St. Anthony and I on the Riverwalk

Ringing in the new year with Patrick and his parents outside the Alamo

Patrick, Christopher, me and Rachel

Siblings at breakfast one morning

The whole family (minus Nathan and Brian)

The best part of the trip in my mind though was when we celebrated mass at St. Joseph's parish. It was just a normal Feast Day mass but the priest said something that really hit me. It was New Years Eve and he was talking about people making New Years Resolutions. I have never been one to make a resolution... I guess because January 1st doesn't feel like a beginning to me. If I want to make a change in my life I can do that any day really. Anyways, he said if we want to make a resolution it should be to "pay attention."

Pay attention. What am I supposed to paying attention to? It was sort of a cryptic message. I started thinking about it as I was sitting there in mass. God is here. God is present in every aspect of my life but maybe I am not always paying attention to what God is saying. If I do not feel God's presence in my life than maybe the problem is not that God is holding out on me.... maybe I'm not paying attention. Now don't get me wrong here. It's not that I feel like I have this huge loss or this absence of God. It is nothing like that. But maybe there is more to all this that I am just not seeing.

Ever since The Year of Faith has started I have felt something. I guess you could call it an urgency but maybe I am stealing that word subconsciously from the Year of Faith Prayer we say at mass. I don't know. All I know is that I believe that God is here and He is big and He is working. How can I go about my daily life and not recognize His work? So my vow is to pay attention. I don't even know what I am paying attention to... like I said... but it's something.

I also feel that I should recommend to anyone who reads my blog (so pretty much my mom and maybe 5 other people haha) to pray the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer daily. For one, I believe that prayer is a powerful one and also because St. Michael is a beast. As is Mother Mary... so Hail Mary's are great as well :)

What I Wore Sunday #5

I have been M.I.A. from the blogging/social media world for the last 2 weeks. The holidays and all my travels have been amazing and I didn't want to be on my computer for any of it. I was able to spend LOTS of time with the fam in Texas and Patrick and I got to just relax. It was great!

Since we spent 12 hours in the car yesterday and came home to a mess of an apartment I spent most of my Sunday doing umpteen loads of laundry, cleaning, putting things away and preparing for a start of a new week. Sad news is... I still have to take down Christmas Decorations :(

So here is what I wore to Mass tonight:

Top: LOFT (thrifted)
Skinnies: Macy's
Boots: Shoe Carnival

I don't know how I feel about this outfit. I don't really understand how the shirt is supposed to look. I have worn it a couple times and it never seems to look quite right on me. Oh, well... not my best.

Check out some awesome Mass outfits over at Fine Linen and Purple!




Expect all kinds of updates in the near future! I have some decent posts up my sleeves!